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Nov 08, 2013 | Carol E. Barnwell

St. Mark's Chili Serves Whole Community

For more than 75 years, St. Mark’s, Beaumont, has been serving up their secret chili recipe to the entire community in early November. What began sometime in the 1920s has become a major fundraiser that sells nearly 2000 meals in one day and raises more than $27,000 for outreach. Frozen chili sales assure even more spicy meals during the long winter days.

 

According to Rachael Groves, a felony prosecutor with the district attorney’s office and co chair of this year’s event, teams of cooks prepare 400 pounds of beef each week for 10 weeks to get ready for the Chili Supper. Another team spends afternoons packaging the chili after it has cooled. On the day of the event, parishioner volunteers turn out to serve and refill bowls of all-you-can-eat chili, pour iced tea, take tickets or drive patrons to their cars in a golf cart.

 

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A holiday bazaar is held concurrently in the parish hall with a huge holiday bake sale, handmade jewelry, soap products quilts and handmade furniture. The church’s resale store entices shoppers and donors with a magazine-worthy bedroom display of antiques and curiosities and the church’s gift shop is resplendent with seasonal decorations.

 

For a day, St. Mark’s becomes the center of the Beaumont community, serving judges and attorneys from the nearby courthouse along with janitors, teachers and grocery clerks. There is something for everyone and plenty of chili.

 

The Episcopal Church Women of St. Mark’s began the chili supper by cooking batches at home in the early 1020s. After 10 years, the cooking had to move to the church, where it has remained. The kitchen was designed with the chili supper in mind so there would be room to continue the tradition. Today, there are several dozen cooks, 50 wait staff, numerous bakers, a dozen people to oversea take out and frozen chili sales and more to drive golf carts.

 

“Anyone can apply for grants,” Groves said. The proceeds support a number of ministries throughout the city, many of which are ecumenical. St. Mark’s uses local distributors for all their beef and finds sponsors for things like their t-shirts. This year the shirts were printed to honor a local realtor and long-time St. Mark’s parishioner, Sally Bundy, who recently passed away. Jan Blessing served as co-chair with Groves to oversee planning and deployment of the army of St. Mark’s volunteers for the successful event.